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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462194">wild blue yonder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoccerSarah01/pseuds/SoccerSarah01'>SoccerSarah01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(also marco chapter has wano manga spoilers at the very end fyi!), Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, HOPE YOU LIKE THIS LELE!!!!, Hurt/Comfort, Loyalty, so have some first mate loyalty and angst and love!!!!, you're the absolute BEST and COOLEST and you deserve the WORLD</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:00:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoccerSarah01/pseuds/SoccerSarah01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Zoro first meets his captain, he thinks he’s the dumbest and most annoying human alive.</p><p>-</p><p>When Benn first meets his captain, he’s concerned, to be honest.</p><p>-</p><p>When Marco first meets his captain, he’s just a little terrified.</p><p>-</p><p>When Rayleigh first meets his captain, he thinks he’s out of his goddamn mind.</p><p>-</p><p>With a captain, comes a first mate. With a first mate, comes trust, love, and above all, loyalty.</p><p>(Or: How each of these first mates met their captains, and how they became the loyal first mates we see today.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks &amp; Benn Beckmann, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco &amp; Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate, Gol D. Roger &amp; Silvers Rayleigh, Monkey D. Luffy &amp; Roronoa Zoro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sake Ceremony 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Zoro - Faith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverCeleb/gifts">SilverCeleb</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>LELE HOPE YOU LIKE THIS!!!! I cried way too much over first mate loyalty while writing this so I hope you enjoy it jflkdskjds</p><p>And to everyone else, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Zoro first meets his captain, he thinks he’s the dumbest and most annoying human alive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s not entirely wrong about that, either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A brat of a kid breaks into the base where Zoro’s being locked up, hangs off the wall that was separating them, and proceeds to gawk at him for a solid few minutes and chatter loudly about how he could set Zoro free if he really wanted to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shockingly enough, that isn’t the biggest annoyance from that day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, by the end of the day, when they’ve defeated the asshole that kept Zoro captive and ordered him shot but shot Luffy instead (which scared the </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span> out of Zoro), Zoro’s gained some begrudging respect for the brat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s strong, he’s fast, and he respects Zoro’s dream and has one that just might be even crazier than Zoro’s own. He can say that at the very least, if he travels with Luffy, he’ll be getting into a lot of fights.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gets his new captain to promise that if he interferes in Zoro’s dream, he’ll kill himself, and Luffy agrees with a carefree, eager smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(That smile is what makes Zoro feel a little more at ease with his decision.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anyone who smiles at Zoro’s dream, who just says he expects it, says </span>
  <em>
    <span>if you can’t even achieve that much, I’d be embarrassed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, well-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro feels he can trust him.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sail off, and Zoro’s respect raises up a few notches as Luffy protects Coby’s dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(By beating him up, but still.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe his dream </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> safe with Luffy, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next island they arrive at, they do so because of Luffy getting captured by a bird, which Zoro follows, furiously questioning his decision to join with this </span>
  <em>
    <span>dumbass.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Later, Zoro will recall this, and, fondly exasperated, will think that there was no better omen for what was to come than his Captain getting captured by a bird, and leading them to a fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>dumbass</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, after, when they’ve destroyed the Boogie Pirates, Zoro knows he can trust his captain to defeat those who he challenges.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Even if Zoro </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> doesn’t understand Luffy’s devil fruit.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro, though, needs to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Getting sliced by that dumbass Big-Nose and getting beat up by that dumbass unicycle-man is </span>
  <em>
    <span>unacceptable</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s never going to become the Greatest Swordsman like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(He’s never going to fulfil his vow like this.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few weeks later, they’ve gathered a few more crew members, a sly, sneaky thief and a lying, but strong sniper. They’ve defeated all their opponents, and are having fun, while doing so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Zoro hasn’t had fun chasing his dream in a long time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s...nice, having someone who has complete faith in him by his side.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, Mihawk comes, and Luffy faces his first true test, in Zoro’s mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy orders Zoro to go after the thief, but Zoro </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to confront Mihawk. He has to fight for his dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(For </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kuina</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, he ignores Luffy’s wishes and faces Mihawk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From Luffy’s clenched hands as he digs them into the railing and his fierce glare that’s focused on Mihawk, Zoro can tell he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> doesn’t like it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doesn’t like that Zoro’s ignoring his orders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro loses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Badly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t, before, understand how </span>
  <em>
    <span>small</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was; how much he has to grow before he can even stand a </span>
  <em>
    <span>chance</span>
  </em>
  <span> at becoming the strongest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy knew, Zoro’s sure, now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Now, Zoro realizes that Luffy was upset not because Zoro disobeyed him, but because he didn’t want him to die.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro should’ve known better than to doubt Luffy.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, when Mihawk doesn’t kill Zoro, Zoro swears his life to the future Pirate King.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his </span>
  <em>
    <span>captain</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy’s grin in response is as sharp as Zoro’s will and as bright as the sun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Over time, things don’t necessarily change between Zoro and his captain, but they…grow, just a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Zoro’s failure against Mihawk, after he swore his life to his captain and made himself </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luffy’s</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they’ve been more in sync than before. They’ve always been able to read each other very well, Zoro and his captain, but now it seems like they’re always on the same page, no matter what happens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Except for Whiskey Peak, but…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro doesn’t count that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s just too ridiculous.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro and Luffy have an understanding during every fight (and outside them, too).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy has Zoro’s back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro has Luffy’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And when Luffy asks Zoro to do something, no matter how insane (like cutting apart a train, or blasting through a wave, or letting himself (and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luffy</span>
  </em>
  <span>) get beat up, or to leave him </span>
  <em>
    <span>behind</span>
  </em>
  <span> against an opponent he doesn’t have much of a chance against-)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well. It’s not Zoro’s job to question Luffy’s orders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just to follow them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spoken or not, no matter what Luffy wants him to do, Zoro will follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He swore to follow his captain to the end of the line; until Zoro reaches his dream or dies trying and Luffy does the same, and that’s exactly what Zoro plans on doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro doesn’t know when his dream shifted, but it did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he first set out to sea, his dream was simple: become the World's Greatest Swordsman. Fulfil his promise. Fulfil the vow he made to the only friend he'd had in his life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, then, he met his captain, and everything changed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, after a few months of sailing and adventures and more fights than Zoro ever thought possible, he can’t imagine not waking up next to a drooling captain, draped all over him and making him uncomfortably warm (but just warm enough on the inside). He can’t imagine not having to reach out and grip his dumbass captain’s shirt to keep him from rocketing off to who-knows-where whenever they come up on an island. He can’t imagine not having his captain’s eagerness to fight and complete faith in him pushing him on every time they start a fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He can’t imagine Luffy not being at his side every step of the way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, his dream had shifted from </span>
  <em>
    <span>become the World’s Greatest Swordsman</span>
  </em>
  <span> to</span>
  <em>
    <span> become the World’s Greatest Swordsman and make Luffy the Pirate King.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s no other option, for Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His Captain will be Pirate King, and Zoro will be the World’s Greatest Swordsman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that’s why, when faced with Kuma, who defeated his entire crew and is trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> his </span>
  <em>
    <span>captain</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Zoro lays down his life and </span>
  <em>
    <span>begs</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the life of his captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy will not die here.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if Zoro has to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pain is the worst Zoro’s ever felt; cutting and ripping and tearing and breaking all at once- </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is this the pain Luffy goes through every time he uses those gears? Is he tearing his body apart every single time he fights for them?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro’s respect for his captain rises even more than he thought possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then, pain overwhelms him, and all he can do is </span>
  <em>
    <span>survive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Survive, so that he can stay with his crew. Survive, so that he doesn’t have to leave his captain behind. Survive, so that he can achieve his dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Survive, so that he can continue living freely with his crew, his </span>
  <em>
    <span>family</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After what feels like forever, the worst of the pain ends, leaving behind a kind of lingering pain and Zoro’s never experienced before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He survives, and knows that he saved his captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He may be almost dead, but he did what he set out to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> than enough, for Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being separated from his crew is the most painful thing that’s happened to Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not knowing if they all survived – if his </span>
  <em>
    <span>captain</span>
  </em>
  <span> survived – hurts more than anything Zoro’s ever experienced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Nami, who yells at him constantly but always makes sure he gets enough sleep and is the mentally strongest person he knows. Usopp, who is a liar but has stories that always brighten Zoro’s day, even if he ultimately hides it. Sanji, who Zoro fights on the daily but is the person who knows Zoro best, other than Luffy. Chopper, who’s all that’s kind and good in the world and makes Zoro feel warm (inside and out) every time he snuggles with Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Robin, who’s the smartest person Zoro knows and always knows what to do when they come across something new. Franky, who’s the most ridiculous person Zoro knows but is also one of the most reliable. Brook, who has the dumbest jokes that make Zoro grin regardless and always soothes them with his music.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy, who saved Zoro’s life when they first met. Luffy, who has the most willpower Zoro’s ever seen from </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Luffy, who’s the dumbest, brightest, happiest, bravest, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fiercest</span>
  </em>
  <span> person Zoro knows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy, who’s Zoro’s captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If they’re dead, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luffy’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> dead, Zoro doesn’t know what he’ll do.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, he has faith that they survived. They’re strong, and Luffy will have protected them. They’re fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(They have to be.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro was wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being separated from his crew isn’t the most painful thing that’s happened to Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After all, he’d landed safely, and he has faith that his crew could survive if he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Being without his crew, and not knowing if they’re okay-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It still </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, the most painful thing is knowing that he wasn’t there for the worst day of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luffy’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy, who has been there for all of Zoro’s worst days since they met. Luffy, who’s saved Zoro, again and again and again. Luffy, who’s all that’s strong and brave and fierce and all that Zoro aspires to be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy, who just lost his brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Zoro remembers Ace. He remembers the fondness that softened the Commander’s eyes as he looked at his brother, the smile and laugh he got while talking to his brother, how much Ace </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> his brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He remembers Ace saying, soft and fond and happy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Take care of him, okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro vowed to do so; to take care of his captain like he does all of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He failed.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro wasn’t there, and he’ll regret that until his dying day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His desperation to get to his captain, there since he landed on this hell of an island, only grows at the news that Ace is dead and Luffy’s missing – he </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get to Sabaody, has to be there to support his captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Otherwise, what is he?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His frantic efforts last for days, and even as his boat gets destroyed and Mihawk and Perona just scoff and laugh derisively respectively, he doesn’t give up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He can’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, then, the newspaper arrives, and everything shifts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His captain wants him to stay away for two years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To train. To get stronger. To get so strong that they can survive- no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thrive</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the New World.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To get strong enough that they’ll never lose like they did at Sabaody again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It hurts, but-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro’s job isn’t to question his captain’s orders, after all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s to follow them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, Zoro immediately sets upon destroying the population of humandrills on the island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Mihawk asks why he’d bow his head to him; why he’d throw away the pride that he holds so dear, it’s easy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>To surpass you!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In order to be the best for his captain; in order to follow him to the very end of the line and be the swordsman Luffy </span>
  <em>
    <span>needs</span>
  </em>
  <span> him to be, Zoro needs to surpass Mihawk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Zoro failed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro </span>
  <em>
    <span>refuses</span>
  </em>
  <span> to fail again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He will do anything for his captain; will throw away all that he is and all that he dreams to be just so that he can see that sun-bright smile to the end of the line and lead him to his dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro will always, </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span>, choose his captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After all, without Luffy’s dream accomplished, Zoro’s own is </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing.</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, when Mihawk says </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Zoro smiles an honest smile, and knows that nothing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, will stop him from becoming the strongest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Zoro has faith that his captain will be with him every step of the way, even half a world away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy’s like the sun, to Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Always bright, always happy, always makes everyone feel warm and safe as they bask in his light. Everyone seems pulled to him; wants to be near him no matter how far they go from him. His gravity is just that strong; his smile just that bright; his will just that fierce.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without him, it feels cold, lonely. Empty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps that’s why, on Kuraigana, Zoro never seems to be able to get warm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He has moments of happiness, of being content, of course. Perona’s okay to be around, he guesses, and he’s training pretty much every hour of the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At night, though, he’s so used to having a messy, drooling captain collapsed on his chest, suffocating him with warmth and love both. He didn’t realize, until he didn’t have it anymore, how much he’d miss it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, he knows that in order to reunite with him and </span>
  <em>
    <span>stay</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him, for as long as they both live, he needs to get stronger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And, so, he trains.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And knows that one day, he’ll see his captain, and feel warm again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Zoro reunites with his captain, two years later, something in him that’s been tight ever since he left his captain’s side loosens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a ruckus, because of course there is, and his captain’s causing trouble, because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>he is, and Zoro </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughs</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(He hasn’t laughed this freely in two years.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He teases Sanji, and Sanji snaps back, because that’s who they are and what they do and of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> they do, and then Luffy’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being with his captain again, breathing the same air as him again- it’s like he can finally breathe again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro runs alongside his captain, headed towards their ship of dreams, and smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s home.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Benn - Steady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Benn first meets his captain, he’s concerned, to be honest.</p><p>Well, it’s a little more than concern that meets him when he finds a boy, barely a teenager, from the looks of it, collapsed on his porch.</p><p>He reeks of alcohol, and Benn sighs, knowing he has to take care of this brat.</p><p>He does, and before he knows it, the brat wakes up and sits up in bed, crying and asking for Benn to join him all in one breath.</p><p>Benn is <em>baffled</em>.</p><p>This kid, who’s young and looks as if he hasn’t eaten in days and bathed in even longer, lays eyes on him and, right away, decides that he wants Benn to join his crew.</p><p>His <em>pirate </em>crew.</p><p>(What?)</p><p>There are tears still drying on his cheeks from a loss Benn can’t quite comprehend, and so Benn just gets the kid some water, and tells the kid to go back to sleep.</p><p>The kid does, thankfully, and Benn thinks that’s the end of that.</p><p>He’s wrong.</p><p>It turns out this kid, who Benn finally learns is named Shanks a few days into his stay there, is even more stubborn than Benn could have ever imagined. He really, truly wants Benn to join his crew, for <em>some</em> strange reason. And, slowly, much to Benn’s shock and slight dismay, he starts wearing Benn down.</p><p>It’s crazy, but-</p><p>This kid speaks of islands, and distant shores and diverse peoples that Benn couldn’t even <em>dream</em> of meeting on this simple, boring island of his. He speaks of dreams, of living on the water, freely and without shame. He speaks of the sea, how he’d be free upon the waves, would be able to do what he’s dreamed of whenever he wants, and suddenly Benn <em>wants</em>, more than anything.</p><p>(He’s always wanted to set sail.</p><p>(He’s always wanted to be <em>free</em>.)</p><p>Plus, he can’t let this kid set sail on his own and die.)</p><p>Benn agrees, finally, and Shanks <em>grins</em>.</p><p>-</p><p>It doesn’t take long for Benn to regret his decision.</p><p>(Seriously, surfing a <em>sea king</em>?)</p><p>(Where did he even <em>find</em> a sea king in the East Blue?)</p><p>-</p><p>Despite their rocky start, over time, Benn realizes why he <em>really</em> decided to follow this crazy captain of his.</p><p>Shanks is kind. He’s fierce. He’s brave. But also…</p><p>He’s a <em>leader</em>, pure and simple. Even despite their frankly ridiculous age gap, Shanks still has an aura of command around him that makes Benn want to <em>listen</em>.</p><p>When they sailed out, Benn didn’t know what to expect, fighting-wise. Shanks looked strong, and fit, but that doesn’t necessarily mean much on the seas.</p><p>But, when Shanks glares at a sea king and it instantly bows down to him, Benn knows he won’t have to protect him. </p><p>Shanks is strong. He’s reliable. But, most of all…</p><p>He’s <em>loyal</em>.</p><p>Benn’s known Shanks for two weeks the first time they come across another group of pirates. Benn’s a decent fighter – anyone who lived in the run-down parts of Loguetown had to be – but someone lands a hit on Benn. He hisses in pain, and the man lets out a loud, derisive laugh.</p><p>He’s fine, and can keep fighting, but Shanks doesn’t know that.</p><p>Suddenly, Shanks, who’d been jokingly playing with the leader of the band of pirates, loses his smile. He gains this sort of presence, a sharp, deadly energy radiating from him.</p><p>Benn gets chills, and it’s not even aimed at <em>him</em>.</p><p>Shanks walks, quick and deliberate, up to the captain, and slices him across the chest before he can react. A look of shock is forever etched into the captain’s face.</p><p>Then, Shanks turns towards the man who had hurt Benn, and his words are calm and full of deadly, deadly anger.</p><p>
  <em>No one hurts one of my friends.</em>
</p><p>And he slices into him, no mercy offered.</p><p>Benn just watches, something like awe welling up in him.</p><p>(He didn’t need to be protected, no. Shanks knows this, and Benn knows this.</p><p>But something about being avenged like this…it’s nice.)</p><p>Shanks turns towards Benn, gives him a cutting grin, and like a bolt of lightning has struck him, a realization hits Benn.</p><p>This is his captain.</p><p>Benn’s <em>captain</em>.</p><p>Benn’s been sailing with him for a while, and has known that Shanks wanted to recruit him to his crew, but he hasn’t referred to the younger in his head as his captain before, not really.</p><p>But, seeing this protective, deadly energy when Benn got hurt, and seeing how Shanks treats it like nothing after the fact, like that’s what he’d do at any time, it makes Benn want to <em>follow</em> him.</p><p>And Benn suddenly knows, deep and instinctive and <em>true</em>, that he’ll follow his captain to the end of the line.</p><p>Whatever it takes.</p><p>-</p><p>Their crew grows, and with it, so does Benn’s loyalty to his captain.</p><p>It’s not just Benn that Shanks is fiercely protective of; it’s everyone. It’s Yasopp, who can shoot a bulls-eye from a mile away and tells the best jokes. It’s Lucky Roo, who is the strongest physically of the crew but has the warmest laugh. It’s everyone else, who Shanks all treats like family and therefore teases as much as he can.</p><p>(He hadn’t realized until later just how <em>much</em> Shanks loves teasing people.</p><p>Maybe it was the grief, maybe it was the loneliness, maybe it was the misery. Whatever it was, Benn’s glad Shanks is breaking from his shell, now.)</p><p>Shanks treats everyone as equals, <em>loves</em> everyone, and Benn knows that if anything were to happen to any of them, Shanks would get as deadly as he had when that very first attack had landed on Benn.</p><p>That’s just who Shanks is.</p><p>Loyal and protective over everyone.</p><p>Benn loves that, loves <em>Shanks</em>, and will follow him for the rest of Benn’s life.</p><p>This he swears, to the captain who has given him everything.</p><p>-</p><p>The night when Shanks tells Benn about his former captain is dark and clear.</p><p>They’re hanging out outside, sitting against the railing and looking up at the stars as their crew sleeps below decks. It’s quiet, for a while, and then, inexplicably, Shanks starts talking.</p><p>He speaks of a captain who stands tall, and big, and bold at the helm, cutting grin on his face and haki rolling around him like a storm incarnate. He speaks of a first mate, always by his captain’s side yet always willing to kick the captain’s ass in gear. He speaks of a crew, fierce and loyal, and of growing up on the waves.</p><p>He speaks, quieter, voice rough from grief, of losing his captain, and feeling like he lost his whole crew with him.</p><p>And then-</p><p>
  <em>I’ve always wanted someone like Rayleigh-san was to Captain.</em>
</p><p>Shanks’ voice is quiet, silence having fallen over them a few moments before. Benn hadn’t known what to say to Shanks’ story, the grief that Benn had seen first-hand destroy his captain fresh in his mind. And he doesn’t know what to say now, Shanks’ quiet admittance a first to Benn.</p><p>Thankfully, Shanks continues. </p><p><em>But, I guess I didn’t need a Rayleigh-san</em>, </p><p>Shanks’ voice is wry as he side-eyes Benn. After, though, he suddenly gains a wide grin, and his next statement causes something to warm in Benn’s chest.</p><p>
  <em>I’ve got the best First Mate I could ever ask for!</em>
</p><p>Benn’s response is simple, but he thinks Shanks gets what he’s saying, anyway.</p><p><em>Given I’ve saved your life more times than I can count, I’d hope that’s the case</em>.</p><p>Shanks laughs, and wraps an arm around Benn’s shoulders, and Benn is <em>home</em>.</p><p>He’s so glad he listened to his gut and followed his crazy captain onto what’s become the ride of his life.</p><p>Otherwise, he doesn’t know where he would be.</p><p>-</p><p>The day Shanks loses his arm is one of the scariest days of Benn’s life.</p><p>They hadn’t noticed what was wrong immediately when Shanks had swam out to save Anchor; hadn’t realized what it had meant that Shanks wasn’t swimming back with ease, like he has so many times before.</p><p>Benn was the first to realize something was wrong, and dived in. A boat soon followed, but Benn didn’t care about that.</p><p>All he cared about was getting to his captain, who he realized far, far too late is missing an integral part of himself.</p><p>In the end, Benn gets there on time, passing Luffy onto the following boat and helping his captain on after.</p><p>He offers a hand for Shanks to clasp onto, and Shanks does, crushing it in his grip as the doctor gets to work.</p><p>(Benn doesn’t think he’ll ever forget his captain’s muffled whimpers of pain as the Doctor cauterized the remainder of his arm.)</p><p>And later, when Shanks is high off of painkillers and made to sleep (and of course, isn’t listening), Benn goes down and reassures his captain.</p><p>(It’s not often when Shanks feels insecure in himself. In his ability to protect his crew; to protect those he cares about.</p><p>But, now, Shanks doubts himself because he almost lost Anchor, and it’s Benn’s job to set him straight.)</p><p><em>You’re not a failure, captain</em>.</p><p>Benn’s voice is soft but firm as he holds Shanks’ only remaining hand, forcing Shanks to meet his eyes.</p><p><em>As you like to say, shit happens. You can still protect us</em>.</p><p>Shanks stares at him for a moment, before laughing. Benn ignores that it sounds a little bit wet. </p><p><em>Always here to set me straight, huh?</em> </p><p>Benn snorts. </p><p><em>That’s my job</em>.</p><p>Benn forces Shanks to <em>actually</em> sleep, then, and knows that whatever happens, he’ll always be here to help his captain.</p><p>Whatever he needs.</p><p>-</p><p>Benn’s captain is absolutely crazy, Benn has come to realize.</p><p>Well, it’s not like he hasn’t known this before, but this really takes the cake.</p><p>
  <em>Red-Hair Shanks, Emperor of the Sea!</em>
</p><p>None of them had truly processed what it meant that they were stealing territory from the prior Emperors of the Sea; that they were rapidly growing hated by the Government and feared by many others; that Benn’s captain was one of the strongest people in the world.</p><p>And now, they’re being forced to.</p><p>Shock has set into all their faces, but, now, after Shanks has scraped his own jaw off the floor, a wide, excited grin is present instead.</p><p>Of course, he immediately calls for a party, and everyone soon follows.</p><p>Benn doesn’t know why he’s surprised.</p><p>He stares at the newspaper for a moment longer.</p><p>Then, Benn shrugs, and joins the celebrations.</p><p>Honestly, it’s only fitting that his captain is considered one of the strongest people in the world. That he’s an emperor.</p><p>Just more proof for why Benn made the right choice, all those years ago.</p><p>-</p><p>Marineford is painful for all of them.</p><p>Benn can feel it; the way failure weighs down on all their shoulders and how the air feels hard to breathe through their guilt. They’re all feeling it.</p><p>But none more so than their captain.</p><p>Benn hasn’t seen his captain so despondent since he first met him, drunk and alone and grieving. He hides it, of course. He appears strong as he orders the war end, as he takes responsibility for Ace’s and Whitebeard’s burials (and seeing the Strongest Man in the World dead is so <em>strange</em> – the New World is going to be hell for a while, Benn knows), as he gently scoops Ace’s body up and cradles it to him.</p><p>But he’s not okay.</p><p>Benn can tell.</p><p>And so, when the day has ended and all that’s left is numbness and cold upon their ship, the Whitebeard Remnants and his crew both downtrodden and worn, Benn finds his captain in the storage room.</p><p>Then, he sits next to Shanks and reassures him that he’s not a failure for not getting there in time (as if he could <em>ever</em> be a failure, Benn’s captain, the one who’s saved them again and again and <em>again</em>, Benn’s captain, who’s given them a family, Benn’s captain, who’s strong and reliable and <em>loves</em> them, Benn’s <em>captain</em>-)</p><p>His captain <em>tried</em>, too.</p><p>(That might be what hurts the most, for Shanks.)</p><p>He reassures him that, though Ace died, he was happy, in the end. He reassures him that Anchor will be okay, and that Shanks didn’t fail in saving him, too. He reassures him that fighting Kaido was the right choice — otherwise, the war would have ended in a result much worse than what actually happened.</p><p>He tells him, again and again and again that he’s not a failure.</p><p>And then, he pulls Shanks down onto his shoulder, and Shanks finally lets himself <em>cry</em>.</p><p>(Benn knows that Shanks wasn’t very close to Whitebeard. But, he loved Ace (even if Ace never got a chance to love him), and he still grew up with Whitebeard always there.</p><p>He’s hurting, and hasn’t let himself grieve.</p><p>Benn’s job is to make sure he does.)</p><p>Eventually, Shanks calms down, and mumbles a tired <em>thanks</em> into Benn’s chest, before falling asleep. Benn just chuckles fondly and pulls his captain close.</p><p>
  <em>Anytime.</em>
</p><p>No matter what, Benn will always be there when his captain needs him.</p><p>Benn will always be there to keep his captain steady, even as the boat of life rocks him.</p><p>Always.</p><p>-</p><p>When their protégé reappears two years later, healthy and happy, Benn can tell that a weight has been lifted off his captain’s shoulders.</p><p>Well, it’s not like the same one hasn’t been lifted off of Benn’s.</p><p>They share a look, eager, and Shanks raises his voice and calls for a party.</p><p>The cheers that arise at the call and news both make warmth rise in Benn’s heart, and he knows that everything is good, now.</p><p>They know that their Anchor will make it to the top, and Benn can’t wait to see it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Marco - Free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Marco first meets his captain, he’s just a little terrified.</p><p>He doesn’t show it, of course, but seeing a man four times his size drop down from the biggest ship Marco’s ever seen and ask (politely, shockingly enough) for supplies, is…mildly terrifying.</p><p>His entire village is panicking, throwing supplies and money both at the pirates, but Marco simply…observes, even as fear coils in his stomach.</p><p>He’s always wanted to go out to sea; it’s always seemed so exciting, so big and broad and <em>free</em> to him, and he has nothing left in this small, boring village of his.</p><p>(His father is dead, his mother abandoned him. There’s truly nothing keeping him here.)</p><p>This pirate crew- they terrify Marco, at first, but soon enough he can see things that are just a little different than what Marco’s assumed pirates should be like. Pirates should be cruel, and loud, and violent, and not care about anyone but themselves. They destroy all that displeases them and steal money and lives alike.</p><p>This pirate crew isn’t like that.</p><p>This one has crewmembers that, while not completely polite, don’t destroy things in order to get what they want. They actually pay for the supplies they’re buying (well, most of them – one woman looks like she scared someone into throwing supplies at her just from the giant axe on her back, which is fair, Marco supposes). And, also…</p><p>They seem to treat each other like <em>family</em>.</p><p>When they shout and jeer and talk to each other, there’s no derisive tone or cruelty. When they punch each other, it’s not meant to hurt (much). When they tease each other, it’s got an undercurrent of caring under it.</p><p>And their captain seems to care about them too, smacking the backs of heads when they go too far and making sure everything and everyone has their needs taken care of.</p><p>Marco thinks, if he were to go out to sea, this would be the best chance he’s got.</p><p>(He’s…he’s always wanted a family, too.</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, he can find one, with them.)</p><p>So, he stows away.</p><p>(It’s the best decision in his entire life.)</p><p>He gets caught a few hours away at sea, and, after the first exclamations of shock and anger, the captain stands tall in front of him – which is a test, Marco’s sure – and asks, <em>why did you come onto my ship?</em></p><p><em>Freedom</em>, Marco answers without hesitation, standing tall, and the crew <em>laughs</em>.</p><p>The captain eyes him, for a moment, before he throws his head back and <em>laughs</em>, a loud, rumbling thing that matches the rest of the crew.</p><p>
  <em>Welcome aboard, apprentice.</em>
</p><p>It’s not cruel laughter, though, so Marco just grins cheekily. </p><p>
  <em>Thanks for having me!</em>
</p><p>He tells them his age – ten – and immediately gets assigned to deck-swabbing duty.</p><p>Which isn’t the worst job in the world, and the sea breeze feels really good, so he’ll take it.</p><p>(Later, he’ll realize his captain almost definitely knew that he stowed away, and let him on solely because Marco was probably amusing to him.</p><p>And he’ll laugh.)</p><p>-</p><p>It takes a few weeks for Marco to get used to living out at sea.</p><p>He didn’t realize just how <em>different</em> it would be, having sea beneath his feet instead of land and having people around <em>all the time</em>.</p><p>The crew’s mostly nice, though, so Marco learns to find his sea legs and to love life on the sea.</p><p>To love the <em>freedom</em> living on this sea gives him.</p><p>And then, the first attack on the ship happens.</p><p>(Marco’s known pirates fight each other. It’s what they <em>do</em>. But, still-</p><p>At ten years old, all the screaming and yelling and <em>blood</em> is a lot for him to handle.)</p><p>At one point, he finds himself against the wall, clutching a knife in his hands that someone had shoved at him before they, too, joined the fighting. He tries to work up the courage to join the fighting, but in the end, someone comes after him first.</p><p>With a gun.</p><p>A gun that Marco cannot fight with a knife.</p><p>Fear clenches in Marco’s stomach, but he refuses to bow down, and stands tall, pointing his knife at the enemy.</p><p>The enemy just laughs derisively and cocks the gun.</p><p>And then, the captain is there, pushing the barrel of the gun aside.</p><p><em>Marco’s </em>captain is there.</p><p>The bullet lodges harmlessly a few feet from Marco’s head, and the next thing he knows the asshole is on the ground, and Marco’s captain is pointing his bisento at his face. Standing over him, Whitebeard (the captain of this ship, <em>Marco’s</em> captain) spits the words that will live in Marco’s mind forever.</p><p><em>Never</em>-</p><p>A stab into the man’s arm, and a cry of pain.</p><p>
  <em>Never attack my apprentice.</em>
</p><p>The blade plunges into the asshole’s heart.</p><p>Most would be afraid at the casual display of strength, of anger, but Marco-</p><p>Marco’s never felt so <em>safe</em>.</p><p>All Marco gets is a pat on the head before his captain returns to fighting, but Marco feels completely at ease, now, in his corner.</p><p>(He notices his crew keeping the pirates away from him, and though it hurts his pride, just a little bit, he mostly feels grateful.)</p><p>The fight ends, and Marco <em>knows</em>, as his crew surrounds him and teases him (makes sure he’s okay), more than anything, that he’s chosen the right crew to join.</p><p>-</p><p>The first time Marco calls his captain <em>Pops</em> is a complete accident.</p><p>His crew had decided, since it was Marco’s first year as an apprentice and eleven is a big year, apparently, that they needed to hold a party for him.</p><p>Marco thinks they just wanted an excuse to drink, but whatever.</p><p>After hours of food and festivities and being forcefully lifted onto <em>far</em> too many shoulders, they finally get to the gift-giving, and, of course, his captain demands to go first.</p><p>Marco rolls his eyes, but opens his present.</p><p>It’s a pistol.</p><p>A <em>proper</em> one.</p><p>Marco gapes at it for a moment, before looking up at his captain. Whitebeard simply looks down at him, a rare, softer smile on his face. His words are dry, but there’s an undercurrent of caring to them.</p><p>
  <em>So that next time an asshole corners you, you can just shoot them.</em>
</p><p>Marco, with a sudden flood of feeling, hugs him and buries his head in his chest. </p><p>
  <em>Thank you, Pops.</em>
</p><p>He then freezes as he realizes what he just said.</p><p>Mortified, he looks up, about to say <em>something</em> – what, he doesn’t know, but his captain just laughs and ruffles Marco’s hair fondly. </p><p><em>Pops, huh?</em> <em>I kinda like that.</em></p><p>Before Marco knows it, the entire crew starts shouting that they’re going to start using that too, and, <em>Why did we not think of that sooner?!</em> and a sense of belonging warms Marco.</p><p>He looks back down at his pistol, and smiles.</p><p>He <em>loves</em> this crew.</p><p>-</p><p>A few years pass, and Marco’s never felt so free.</p><p>Living on the sea, with his crew, his <em>family</em>, always by his side, is the best thing Marco’s ever experienced.</p><p>He grows stronger, learning to learn the pistol he was gifted and becoming strong outside of that, too, with hand-to-hand and haki. He becomes one of the strongest on the crew, no longer needing to be protected. (Not that it stops some from trying, anyway.) His captain- his <em>father</em> watches him grow, and laughs, grinning wildly and proud.</p><p>(Marco’s never seen his father as proud as he looked the first time Marco took out an entire crew on his own.)</p><p>It’s during one of these fights when they find a devil fruit.</p><p>And, of course, because Marco’s crew is full of assholes, they dare Marco to eat it.</p><p>Marco’s not a coward, so he does.</p><p>It tastes <em>just</em> as disgusting as the rumors said. </p><p>After, Marco doesn’t feel different, really, but he can tell there’s...something just waiting to be discovered. Something waiting to be noticed.</p><p>Someone runs down belowdecks to grab the book on devil fruits that they have, and is flipping through it as they climb the stairs again. They slam it on the table, then, and everyone crowds around to see what they’re pointing at. Marco stares at the fruit, and whispers what it says.</p><p>
  <em>The Bird Bird Fruit - Model: Phoenix.</em>
</p><p>As soon as he finishes saying the words, as if that were the key, Marco’s arms erupt into flames.</p><p>No, not just flames.</p><p>Great, flaming, beautiful <em>wings</em>.</p><p>He’s a <em>phoenix.</em></p><p>Exhilarated, he laughs, and immediately takes flight, to the shocked calls of his crewmates.</p><p>(He falls two seconds later, but whatever.)</p><p>He can tell that this fruit-</p><p>It’s the one for him.</p><p>It’s a devil fruit that will allow him to be <em>free</em>.</p><p>Always.</p><p>He loves it.</p><p>-</p><p>Before Marco knows it, three years have turned into five, into ten, into fifteen.</p><p>He forgets what it was ever like not living with his crew, not being woken up by dumbasses rampaging down the hallways and sudden attacks because they’re the strongest crew in the world, apparently, especially since Roger’s execution.</p><p>It’s the only home Marco’s ever wanted, and he <em>loves</em> it.</p><p>And, even as the crew grows around him, bigger and bigger and bigger, Marco’s bond with his captain only grows stronger. His captain, who leads them into battle and always leads them to victory. His captain, who always has faith that they’ll win. His captain, who watches him grow and learn and helps him along the way whenever he needs it.</p><p>(His father, who <em>loves </em>him.)</p><p>He becomes the big brother, somehow (which is really weird to him – he started as an apprentice, and now he’s the one that people go to when they need help? Weird.) and people look to him for guidance, and he gives it.</p><p>He still looks to his father, though, when he’s lost.</p><p>And his father’s always there for him.</p><p>(Marco <em>loves</em> him.)</p><p>One day, suddenly, inexplicably, Marco gets called into his father’s room.</p><p>And, as soon as he sees his captain, without any warning-</p><p><em>I want you to be my First Mate</em>.</p><p>At first, Marco thinks he must have misheard. His father can’t have said <em>First Mate</em>. That’s the position for the most senior member of the crew, the most trusted. It can’t be Marco.</p><p>Marco ends up just gaping at his captain, and Whitebeard <em>laughs</em>, and Marco can’t stop the question that escapes him.</p><p><em>Why</em>? </p><p>Why Marco, who’s one of the youngest of the crew, still? Why not Jozu, or Vista, or Jiru, even, who’ve been with the crew longer? Why?</p><p>His father answers, a small, fond smile on his face.</p><p><em>Because you’re you</em>. <em>I don’t want anyone but you to be my first mate.</em></p><p>Something warm spreads in Marco’s chest.</p><p><em>I trust you, Son.</em> His captain pats him on the shoulder, and grins at him. <em>Be my first mate</em>.</p><p>And there’s nothing Marco can do but agree.</p><p>(The weight of responsibility falls down on his shoulders, but Marco knows he can handle it.)</p><p>More time passes, and Marco acclimates to his new duties. Really, they’re not any different than what he’d been doing, and it seems everyone knew that he’d be first mate, anyway.</p><p>They gain new siblings, and lose others, which always hurts. They gain a firecracker named Ace, who Marco <em>knows</em> is going to cause a storm, one day, and everything’s going right, for Marco.</p><p>He has a family, who loves him, and he’s <em>free</em>.</p><p>It’s all he’s ever wanted.</p><p>But then, betrayal strikes, and loss assaults Marco’s family.</p><p>Before his eyes, everything starts falling apart.</p><p>No matter how hard Marco tries, he can’t stop it.</p><p>(And, for the first time, having his father there doesn’t mean everything will be okay.)</p><p>-</p><p>The night before they go to war, Marco finds refuge in his father’s room.</p><p>(He’s suspected, for a while, that his father plans on making Marineford his last stand.</p><p>He’s hoped – god, he’s <em>hoped</em> – that it wasn’t the case, that his father isn’t about to <em>leave</em> them, but-</p><p>When his Pops lets him inside and holds one arm open and allows Marco to climb into his lap like he’s ten again, well-</p><p>Marco knows his father isn’t planning on surviving through the next day.</p><p>And Marco <em>cries</em>.)</p><p>After Marco’s tears have dried up, after he’s made his home in his father’s arms and felt the comfort and safety he always gains from them wrap him up, <em>after</em>-</p><p>After, they start telling stories.</p><p>They talk in quiet, soft whispers and laughs of Marco’s first escapades with his devil fruit, how Jozu had gotten his devil fruit not too long after Marco had gotten his, and the chaos that had stemmed from that. They talk of their adventures over the years; of the fun they’ve had and the joy they’ve created. They talk of their crew, growing and shifting and changing over the years, and how <em>this </em>– their <em>family</em> – is his father’s dream.</p><p>Marco’s father, quieter now, speaks of how proud he is to have Marco as a son, how much he loves him, and their motley, crazy crew of theirs.</p><p>Tears start flowing, then, and Marco buries his head in his father’s chest and chokes out what he’s always felt, but never really said.</p><p><em>Thank you. Thank you for letting me stay. Thank you for giving me a home. Thank you for giving me a place to be </em>free<em>.</em></p><p>
  <em>I love you, Pops.</em>
</p><p>Marco’s father gently runs a hand over Marco’s head.</p><p>
  <em>I love you too, Son.</em>
</p><p>Marco stuffs his head into his father’s chest again, and soaks his coat with tears.</p><p>After a few hours, their voices raw from whispers and eyes red from wiped-away tears, Marco lays his head against his father’s side, and closes his eyes.</p><p>He falls asleep, cradled in his captain’s arms, the familiar heartbeat and rumbling breathing lulling him to sleep, and forgets, just for a moment, the hell that will be the next day.</p><p>-</p><p>Marineford is hell.</p><p>Marineford is cruel, bloody, deadly. It’s the absence of mercy, of safety, of peace, in any form.</p><p>It’s the worst day in Marco’s life.</p><p>It’s hard, seeing his family fight and cry and die right before his eyes. It’s hard, feeling presences (familiar presences, ones he’s been around for years, ones he’s <em>never been without</em>) blink out of being like a candle going out. It’s hard, seeing his brother on the platform, crying and alone and thinking he <em>deserves</em> to die.</p><p>It’s hard, seeing his father get <em>stabbed</em>, get <em>betrayed</em>, and accept the traitorous son back anyway.</p><p>It’s hard, watching his father join the fight, defeating everyone he comes across with ease, accumulating more and more injuries as the day goes on.</p><p>It’s hard, knowing that Pops expects today to be his last.</p><p>It’s <em>hard</em>.</p><p>But everything’s worth it, for a moment, when Ace is freed. It’s worth it, even as his father bellows his last orders and commands them to leave him behind. It’s worth it, even as his father destroys himself to give them a chance to escape. It’s worth it, because though he’s losing his father, and that’s a hole that will never be filled again, their brother, who they fought and bled and killed for, is safe.</p><p>Then, Marco gets cuffed.</p><p>Then, Ace gets hit.</p><p>Then, everything comes crashing down.</p><p>Before Marco knows it, his brother is dead, his father is dying, and they need to escape.</p><p>It feels like it’s all falling apart around him, and Marco doesn’t know what to <em>do</em>.</p><p>Thankfully, Shanks comes, and the war comes to an end.</p><p>But, they lost.</p><p>And Marco doesn’t know what to do with the grief ripping at his heart.</p><p>-</p><p>After Marineford, Marco doesn’t know what to do.</p><p>Ace is dead. Ace, his brother, his best friend, the one who brightened up the room with his smile and had a laugh they’d all kill for- Ace is <em>dead</em>.</p><p>And <em>Pops</em>-</p><p>Marco’s captain. Marco’s <em>father</em>. The one Marco swore his life to all those years ago; the one who raised him, in all the ways that matter, the one who saved him, time and time again, the one who protected him and trained him and made him strong-</p><p>The one who <em>loved</em> him.</p><p>Marco- he has to be strong. He can’t let himself fall in front of his grieving brothers, he’s the big brother, he has to be strong, he has to- he <em>can’t</em>-</p><p>He can’t falter.</p><p>He <em>can’t</em>.</p><p>But, then, after a few days of preparations and grieving and longing for the past, Marco’s finally able to be alone for a bit.</p><p>(Benn’s probably the one to thank for that – he’s always been annoyingly perceptive, and Marco’s sure his mask’s grown worse and worse as time went on.</p><p>Marco can’t find it in him to thank him.)</p><p>When Marco’s alone, in a bedroom with walls that are unfamiliar and shelves that are unfamiliar and a bed that is unfamiliar and everything that is <em>too unfamiliar</em>-</p><p>Marco collapses on the bed, wraps his arms around his knees, and finally allows himself to shatter.</p><p>(He’s dead.</p><p>His father is <em>dead</em>.</p><p>He doesn’t…Marco doesn’t remember life without his captain; his <em>father</em>.</p><p>What…what is he, if not the first mate of the Strongest Man in the World?</p><p>What is he, if not his captain’s son?</p><p>What is he, then?)</p><p>Marco buries his head in his knees, trying desperately to force the tears back.</p><p>He’s the big brother. He’s the first mate (but is he, really?). He needs to be strong.</p><p>He can’t stay broken.</p><p>Not now.</p><p>(Marco wants to go <em>home</em>.)</p><p>-</p><p>Deciding to declare war against the Blackbeard Pirates is the worst decision Marco’s made in his life.</p><p>He’s not healed at all from his losses, not really. He knows that he should’ve been talking to his siblings about their father and brother and all their other loved ones, remembering the good and not the bad (fist stuck through Ace’s chest, half of his father’s head blown off, far, far too many injuries and losses), but-</p><p>He couldn’t. They couldn’t.</p><p>Teach must pay.</p><p>(In his head, he knows Pops would have hated this. He knows that he’d have scolded them, yelled at them, would have told them to live for him, instead of throwing their lives away for him.</p><p>He <em>knows</em>.</p><p>His heart says differently.</p><p>Teach must <em>pay</em>.)</p><p>In the end, it isn’t worth it.</p><p>(Of course, it isn’t worth it. Marco knew that from the very beginning. Still, it <em>hurts</em>, seeing his siblings getting cut down all around him.</p><p>It <em>hurts</em>, seeing his father’s killer take his father’s place at the top of the world.</p><p>It <em>hurts</em>.)</p><p>After the war, the Whitebeards split. Some go back home. Others join up with other pirate crews, or create their own. Last he heard, the Spades took their previous members and are sailing together once again.</p><p>Marco goes to Sphynx.</p><p>He takes care of his father’s homeland; focuses on making their lives the best they can be.</p><p>And, there, he starts to heal.</p><p>-</p><p>Slowly, Marco heals.</p><p>He learns how to live without his father; without his steady presence at his back, and Marco’s knowledge that no matter what happens, his father will be there to keep them as safe as he can.</p><p>He remembers the good; remembers how his father had the biggest laugh in the room and would always be ready to spar with his kids (at least, until his age started getting to him). He remembers how their family had grown and changed and shifted throughout the years, but how one thing never changed.</p><p>Their Pops’ love for them.</p><p>He may not have shown it in the typical way parents would, but, well, they’re pirates. None of them are typical in the first place.</p><p>He loved them.</p><p>That’s all that matters.</p><p>Marco misses him, and always will, but he knows one thing.</p><p>Whitebeard’s greatest wish for his children is that they will be free.</p><p>And that’s exactly what Marco plans on doing.</p><p>-</p><p>When he hears about what’s going to be happening in Wano, Marco remembers his father’s orders to not go there. To not risk losing as many people as it would take to mount a successful assault on Kaido’s army.</p><p>And he remembers that he’s free, now.</p><p>Free to be who he wants to be, to do what he wants to do, to save who he wants to save.</p><p>And, so, he goes to Wano, and has no regrets.</p><p>Because he’s living free, just like his captain wished.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Rayleigh - King</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Rayleigh first meets his captain, he thinks he’s out of his goddamn mind.</p><p>This random boy in a straw hat, looking barely over twenty, just comes up to Rayleigh’s ship. Rayleigh really doesn’t know what to expect, starting this conversation.</p><p>
  <em>Hey! That’s a nice ship!</em>
</p><p>Rayleigh’s bored, so he doesn’t dismiss him out of hand.</p><p>
  <em>Oh…I stole it. My house was burned down, so I live here now.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I see! What’s your name?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…Rayleigh.</em>
</p><p>The straw-hatted boy grins, wide and sharp.</p><p>
  <em>Well, I’m Roger! This meeting must be fate, Rayleigh!</em>
</p><p>And then, he asks the most ridiculous question (except it’s not a question, not really) that Rayleigh’s ever heard.</p><p>
  <em>What do you say about turning the world upside down with me?!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hah?!</em>
</p><p>At first, Rayleigh scoffs at the idea – he’s perfectly fine where he was, and he’s not about to just let this brat change how he’s living his life.</p><p>Roger’s stubborn, though.</p><p>More stubborn than Rayleigh could have ever imagined.</p><p>And, before he knows it, his dumbass self-acclaimed captain wears him down (or, more like, jumps onto the boat and won’t let Rayleigh push him out).</p><p>Rayleigh gives up, eventually, and Roger settles in with an entirely too smug look on his face.</p><p>Now, they’re sitting in Rayleigh’s ship, going god-knows-where, and Rayleigh wonders just how big of a mistake he’s just made.</p><p>-</p><p>It doesn’t take long for Roger to gain Rayleigh’s loyalty.</p><p>He fights against it, at first – this straw-hatted kid is a <em>dumbass</em>, and Rayleigh refuses to believe that he’ll spend the rest of his life with him.</p><p>But, there’s just something about Roger that’s <em>different.</em></p><p>Roger’s strong. He’s fast, and, in the few scuffles they’ve gotten into, he’s defeated the opponents easily.</p><p>If strength were the only thing Rayleigh cared about, he’d be all set.</p><p>But, also…</p><p>Roger’s got this presence to him, that makes Rayleigh want to follow him. It <em>pulls</em> people to him, pulls <em>Rayleigh</em> to him, and it’s like fighting the sun’s gravity, trying to stop following him.</p><p>It’s impossible.</p><p>He’s also got a belief in himself that would seem arrogant to some, but the way he just talks as if it’s fact, as if he’s destined to achieve his dream, it’s different than just arrogance. And it <em>pulls</em>, just like everything else Roger does.</p><p>He says he wants to turn the world upside-down.</p><p>Rayleigh <em>believes</em> him, which is the craziest part. He feels like he shouldn’t; feels like it’s stupid to believe in it.</p><p>But he does.</p><p>And so, Rayleigh stays, and starts to think of his captain as family.</p><p>(One day, Roger brings up a ritual that he’s heard of.</p><p>A ritual that goes like this.</p><p>
  <em>Hey, Rayleigh, did you know that if you drink sake together, you become brothers?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Brothers?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Brothers! You wanna do it?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>...Sure, why not.</em>
</p><p>And just like that, they’re brothers.</p><p>
  <em>Our bond will never be broken! Sounds great, eh, Rayleigh?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stuck with you forever? Can I take this back?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wahahahahaha!</em>
</p><p>Rayleigh will never say it to his captain’s (his <em>brother’s</em>) face, but, having this bond with his captain...it’s nice.</p><p>Saying <em>yes</em> is the best decision Rayleigh could’ve made.)</p><p>Over time, their crew grows, and with it, so does Rayleigh’s trust and loyalty and <em>faith</em> in his captain.</p><p>It turns out Rayleigh’s not the only one that gets pulled towards their captain – everyone that follows seems to be chosen by Roger and made to stay. Whether it’s because they’re strong, or funny, or just a cool person, Roger <em>wants</em> them.</p><p>Rayleigh learns to love that about his crazy captain.</p><p>(He learns to love almost everything about his captain.)</p><p>(Except his utter stupidity and need to fight to the point of recklessness.</p><p>That, Rayleigh could do without.)</p><p>The entire crew is as crazy as their captain, even adopting two toddlers that stow away a few decades into their journey (seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to keep two <em>toddlers</em> on a <em>pirate ship</em>?) and Roger just laughs, laughs, laughs as the craziness grows and grows.</p><p>They’re crazy, but dammit, Rayleigh couldn’t live without them.</p><p>Rayleigh learns to truly <em>love</em> this crew of his.</p><p>He never wants to leave.</p><p>The years pass quickly, especially after the adoption of Shanks and Buggy. They go into the Grand Line after a decade or so, causing all sorts of chaos and building fierce, deadly rivalries with the Whitebeards and destroying the most powerful pirate crew that Rayleigh’s ever seen, and Rayleigh’s <em>happy</em>.</p><p>These decades with his crew, with his <em>captain</em>, are the best in Rayleigh’s life.</p><p>He truly believes, too, that his captain will do it.</p><p>That he’ll turn the world upside down.</p><p>And he can’t wait to see it.</p><p>-</p><p>It’s a dark and gloomy day when Roger finds out about his disease.</p><p>When Roger tells Rayleigh, quiet and away from the crew, shock and horror and cutting, bone-deep sadness set into him.</p><p>But he can’t let it show.</p><p>Roger tells him as if it’s nothing, but, for Rayleigh- it <em>hurts</em>. Rayleigh, who has to tell the whole crew about it as if he isn’t slowly breaking apart inside. Rayleigh, who has to tell <em>Shanks and Buggy</em> — only <em>eight</em>, at that point — and crush them with the knowledge that their captain – their <em>father</em>, in all the ways that matter – is doomed.</p><p>Rayleigh, who, when he finds out, wants to do nothing but cling to his captain and <em>cry</em>.</p><p>(Rayleigh’s never been the clingy type. Never been the hugging type. Never been the crying type.</p><p>But-</p><p>This is his <em>brother</em> who’s just found out that he’s going to die.</p><p>Rayleigh doesn’t want to lose him.</p><p>It <em>hurts</em>, knowing he doesn’t have a choice.)</p><p>Finally, after hours and hours of consoling and comforting and being the rock that his crew <em>needs</em>, Rayleigh’s finally allowed to be alone.</p><p>After, he hides himself in his cabin and <em>cries</em>.</p><p>(It hurts, knowing his captain is doomed. It hurts, seeing his crew, his <em>family</em> so distraught, and not having much of a way to comfort them. It hurts, knowing his captain, best friend, <em>brother</em> – the one he swore brotherhood with over sake that burned their throats and linked them together forever – is doomed.</p><p>It <em>hurts</em>.</p><p>He’s not ready to lose Roger.</p><p>He’s not.</p><p>But, given the acceptance on Roger’s face as he broke the news to Rayleigh, Roger’s ready to lose <em>him</em>.)</p><p>Roger finds him eventually, because of course he does. He’s always been the one to find Rayleigh when he’s down and either knows the exact right words to make him feel better (rare) or annoy him until Rayleigh gets over what was bothering him (much more common).</p><p>He sits next to Rayleigh, and for once, isn’t the energetic, ever-excited and raring to go captain that Rayleigh’s gotten to know the past few decades.</p><p>He’s not necessarily sad, though.</p><p>That fact is more frustrating to Rayleigh than he could’ve ever imagined.</p><p>They just sit, for a moment, quiet, and then Roger starts talking. He starts talking about having to comfort Shanks and Buggy, and how he feels guilty that he’s going to leave them behind. He talks about the crew, and his pride in creating such a great family to spend his final years with.</p><p>But, most of all, he talks about how he’s still going to fulfil his dream.</p><p>No matter what it takes.</p><p>He says he’s never going to be gone, that he’s never going to disappear, no matter what happens, and Rayleigh sits up straight at the hard, determined tone in his captain’s voice.</p><p>An aura of command surrounds Roger, suddenly – the aura that convinced Rayleigh to follow him, the one that terrifies his enemies and reassures his crew, the one that tells Rayleigh, <em>this is the man I will follow to the end of the world</em>.</p><p>It’s an aura that tells Rayleigh to listen, and so he does.</p><p>Roger continues, quiet and clear, and speaks the words that will ring in Rayleigh’s head for the rest of his life.</p><p>
  <em>I’ll never be forgotten.</em>
</p><p>A faintly joking retort through the tightness in Rayleigh’s lungs. <em>You sure about that?</em></p><p>A laugh. <em>Of course!</em></p><p>Then, a firm, familiar pat on Rayleigh’s shoulder, and a smile that is Rayleigh’s sun.</p><p>
  <em>So I’ll never die, partner. Never forget that.</em>
</p><p>And Rayleigh doesn’t.</p><p>(Even though he finds out that it’s hard, sometimes.)</p><p>They sail on, and Rayleigh makes sure to savor every moment with his captain as if it’ll be his last.</p><p>Because they don’t have forever, anymore.</p><p>(And it <em>hurts</em>.)</p><p>-</p><p>They decide to go searching for the final island soon after finding out Roger’s fate.</p><p>Rayleigh’s excited to find out whatever’s on that final island- of course he is, it’s an adventure few, if any, have been on, and there’s knowledge to be had that no one knows, but he also knows that this is the last journey that he’ll be on with his captain.</p><p>It makes him savor the entire journey with all that he has; all the laughter, tears, and chaos.</p><p>(He savors every moment with his captain, knowing that his days with him are numbered, now.)</p><p>It’s bittersweet when they finally make it to the island they’ve all been waiting for, three years later.</p><p>They learn a history that the world’s forgotten- no, gotten <em>stolen</em> from them, and Rayleigh knows that someday, someone’s going to turn the world on its head with it.</p><p>That day is not today.</p><p>The Roger Pirates were too early.</p><p>But, still, as they all laugh, and laugh, and laugh, it feels…different, knowing what lives here. It feels like the world is about to change.</p><p>It feels like a beginning.</p><p>And Rayleigh’s happy, but-</p><p>He knows what this means, what this journey they’ve been on for years ending means.</p><p>It means his journey with his captain is coming to an end.</p><p>-</p><p>The day Roger leaves Rayleigh is sunny, warm, and clear. It’s a beautiful day, all blue skies and singing birds and a fresh, warm breeze. By all accounts, it’s a perfect day to sail.</p><p>It couldn’t be further from a reflection on how Rayleigh is feeling.</p><p>His captain is leaving. His captain is <em>leaving</em>. He’s going to die, alone and on an execution platform. He wants this to happen. He <em>chose </em>for this to happen.</p><p>Rayleigh can’t say he doesn’t understand why Roger is doing this; his captain has always wanted to go out with a bang, to <em>turn the world upside-down</em>, but-</p><p>He doesn’t want to lose his best friend.</p><p>(It’s been thirty years since that day on that dock, where Roger stormed into Rayleigh’s life and made him <em>his.</em></p><p>It’s been twenty years since they decided to go into the Grand Line, starting the grandest adventure the world has ever seen.</p><p>It’s been ten years since they picked up Shanks and Buggy, and their crew became more of a family than Rayleigh ever thought possible.</p><p>It’s been five years since they found out about Roger’s disease; since they found out their captain was doomed from the start.</p><p>It’s been less than a year since they circled the globe, reaching Laugh Tale and learning the knowledge that could turn the world on its head.</p><p>And it’s been two weeks since the crew disbanded and Roger and Rayleigh headed back to where it all began.</p><p>It hasn’t been enough time, for Rayleigh to prepare himself.</p><p>He’s not ready to lose Roger.</p><p>He’s <em>not</em>.</p><p>But Roger’s ready to leave him.</p><p>And Rayleigh’s never been able to say <em>no</em> to his captain.)</p><p>There’s a quiet between them that feels suffocating, for Rayleigh, the knowledge of <em>you’re gonna die you’re gonna die you’re gonna die </em>an endless mantra in his head. For Roger, though, it probably just feels peaceful.</p><p>Rayleigh’s both relieved and annoyed at that fact.</p><p>The silence breaks, soon, though.</p><p>Roger (quietly, which is unlike him) asks if Rayleigh remembers the first time they met. Rayleigh stares at him, for a moment, before snorting.</p><p><em>As if I could forget the moment I met </em>you.</p><p>Roger laughs, big and bright and happy, and suddenly it feels like Rayleigh can breathe again.</p><p>The next few hours are full of stories of their decades together, and tears, and laughter. They talk about their very first adventures; how they met Rouge at the very beginning, and it was just them three, for a while. They talk about how they built their crew, and the ridiculousness that was their crew and how they found Shanks and Buggy.</p><p>(Seriously, the fact that they stowed away as <em>toddlers</em> is just as ridiculous ten years later as it had been that very first time it happened.)</p><p>Soon, though, their talking ebbs, throats sore and eyes both raw and bright. Roger tilts his head back, eyes closed, letting the sun wash over him, and <em>shit</em>- Rayleigh is going to <em>miss</em> him.</p><p>He’s going to miss his best friend.</p><p>After another moment of silence, Roger speaks the same words that he spoke all those years ago, that very first day they found out about his disease. He says them with the same quiet surety as he had back then, and-</p><p>
  <em>I’m not gonna die, partner.</em>
</p><p>-just like back then, Rayleigh can’t help but believe him.</p><p>(He’s still going to <em>miss</em> him, though.</p><p>That’ll never change.)</p><p>When they part, Rayleigh is sure to see him off with a smile.</p><p>(Even though all he wants to do is cry.)</p><p>-</p><p>Rayleigh can’t bring himself to watch the execution.</p><p>It’s being broadcast as if it’s a show, as if it’s a spectacle, as if the death of Rayleigh’s <em>captain</em> is just entertainment for all to enjoy, and Rayleigh <em>can’t</em> handle it.</p><p>He stays away from the rest of Sabaody, and drinks the day away.</p><p>And then the next.</p><p>And then the next.</p><p>He knows it’s not healthy – Shakky’s mostly-hidden disapproving looks and worried hovering, which is so unlike her, show that clearly – but he doesn’t care.</p><p>Roger’s dead.</p><p>Rayleigh’s captain is dead.</p><p>Rayleigh’s <em>brother</em> is <em>dead</em>.</p><p>Rayleigh can’t handle that thought. Not right now.</p><p>So he drinks.</p><p>And tries to forget his pain.</p><p>(It doesn’t work.)</p><p>The days pass in a blur, Rayleigh sinking further and further into his grief as celebrations continue all over the island.</p><p>He can’t bring himself to do anything except drink.</p><p>(His captain is gone.</p><p>His captain is <em>gone</em>.)</p><p>And so Rayleigh sits and drinks and grieves, even as a new age explodes around him.</p><p>-</p><p>Over time, being without Roger, it becomes…easier.</p><p>It never gets easy – how could it, when Rayleigh’s captain is gone? When he’ll never talk to his best friend again? When he’ll never again have his brother at his back, knowing that everything will be okay as long as he’s there?</p><p>But, seeing the new age explode all around him, knowing Shanks and Buggy are making their own crews and making of themselves the great pirates Rayleigh’s always known they would become, seeing that Roger <em>did </em>fulfil his dream, well-</p><p>It gets easier.</p><p>Rayleigh will always miss his captain, so, so much. It will never stop hurting. But, maybe, just maybe, as the Great Age of the Pirates encompasses the world more and more, <em>maybe-</em></p><p>Maybe Rayleigh can find it in himself to be happy, anyway.</p><p>(And, when he finds out about Monkey D. Luffy, learns that Shanks gave away Roger’s hat (because it’s always been Roger’s hat (Roger’s <em>crown</em>) to Rayleigh, and it always will be) to this kid, learns that he said the same exact thing that Rayleigh’s captain did, well.</p><p>Maybe there is something for Rayleigh to look forward to, after all.)</p><p>-</p><p>When Portgas D. Ace’s execution is announced, something in Rayleigh <em>breaks</em>.</p><p>(Rayleigh has known.</p><p>From the very moment he saw Ace’s wanted poster, he’s known that he was <em>his</em>.</p><p>He’s his captain’s son. He’s <em>Roger and Rouge’s</em> son.</p><p>He’s someone that Rayleigh should have been able to treasure since birth.</p><p>But…</p><p>He can’t help but wonder, <em>is it his place</em>?</p><p>Ace has a crew. A <em>family</em>. People to protect him.</p><p>He doesn’t need Rayleigh to come to him; to save him. It would, possibly, be even more of an insult if Rayleigh <em>did</em> come.</p><p>(And, based on Ace taking his mother’s name; based on the fact that Ace denies his father and looks as if he’s being ripped apart from the inside when his father’s name is revealed; based on the fact that when Ace came to Sabaody he never sought Rayleigh out (after all, it’s fairly well-known that the Dark King is indeed still alive and at Sabaody), well-</p><p>Rayleigh doesn’t think Ace would like if someone connected to his father came for him.)</p><p>(It <em>hurts</em>.</p><p>Roger, Rayleigh’s captain, the best person in Rayleigh’s life for <em>decades</em> – he would have been destroyed by his son not loving him. Roger would have loved him with his whole heart; his entire being.</p><p>Rayleigh also knows, though, that Roger is hated, and that his son would be too.</p><p>And Ace probably knows that.)</p><p>(Rayleigh can only hope he hasn’t experienced it for himself.)</p><p>So Rayleigh decides not to go after Ace.</p><p>In the end, he wonders if it was the wrong choice.)</p><p>The hatred for Ace doesn’t surprise him, after all these years of hearing just how awful and cruel and horrible people think Roger was, but it still <em>hurts</em>.</p><p>(Just because he knows people hate his captain; knows that they have good <em>reason</em> (propaganda is a powerful, dangerous thing), doesn’t make it easy.)</p><p>Watching the war, watching the Whitebeards give everything they have for Ace, watching his little brother give everything <em>he</em> has (and wasn’t that a surprise, learning the very Monkey D. Luffy Rayleigh’s been hearing about for years is his captain’s son’s younger brother), Rayleigh feels…more at ease.</p><p>It relieves him that he wasn’t wrong in knowing that Ace would have people coming for him.</p><p>(In knowing that Ace is <em>loved</em>.)</p><p>But, when Ace gets freed and promptly killed, to the absolute horror of his crewmates and family and everyone who holds him dear (and, most of all, <em>Luffy</em>), Rayleigh can feel bone-deep weariness setting in.</p><p>He should’ve gone.</p><p>Maybe, then, <em>Ace</em>, the bright, bold, proud son of Whitebeard, would be alive.</p><p>(Maybe his captain’s son would still be alive.)</p><p><em>I’m sorry, Roger</em>.</p><p>Whitebeard dies, too, later on, and that’s just the icing on the cake for the Marines, isn’t it.</p><p>Rayleigh throws back his drink and finally lets his tears well up. He respected Whitebeard. He liked him. And now he’s gone.</p><p>(Just another remnant from his captain’s era, gone.)</p><p>The war ends, with Blackbeard gaining Whitebeard’s fruit <em>somehow</em>, and all Rayleigh can think is one thing as he returns home, surrounded by shocked, horrified faces at how the war ended.</p><p>The world will never be the same.</p><p>-</p><p>Rayleigh never thought anyone would be able to replace his captain.</p><p>And he still doesn’t; his captain (bright, bold, fierce, Rayleigh’s best friend, <em>brother</em>) isn’t so easily replaced.</p><p>But…</p><p>He can’t help but see Roger in almost everything Monkey D. Luffy does.</p><p>Roger’s in Luffy’s stubbornness, in his indomitable willpower, in this never-ending joy to be <em>alive</em>. He’s <em>everywhere</em>, and it makes Rayleigh smile but also <em>ache</em> from how much he misses his captain.</p><p>Luffy’s far from being the same, however.</p><p>(Luffy misses his crew. So, so much.</p><p>Rayleigh knows that unlike Roger, Luffy won’t let himself achieve his dream without his crew with him.</p><p>Roger left his crew behind in order to achieve his dream.</p><p>It <em>hurts</em>, that comparison, but Rayleigh still loves his captain.</p><p>Even if he resents him, sometimes, for leaving him behind.)</p><p>Rayleigh sees Roger every day in him, and he knows that Roger would’ve loved Luffy.</p><p>He would’ve loved his undying spirit, and how he lives every day as if it’s the best day he’s ever lived, happy and <em>free</em>.</p><p>And, every day, Luffy grows closer and closer to surpassing what Rayleigh can teach him, growing stronger and stronger and stronger.</p><p>Rayleigh’s proud of this boy of his.</p><p>When he leaves a year and a half after starting Luffy’s training, he knows that Luffy will be big.</p><p>He knows-</p><p>
  <em>This is the man Roger’s been waiting for.</em>
</p><p><em>This is the man the </em>world’s <em>been waiting for.</em></p><p><em>This is the man who will be </em>King<em>.</em></p><p>And Rayleigh smiles.</p>
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